Friends With Sirius
by Moon Fever
Summary: This is my interpretation of what happened with The Maruaders prank towards Snape with the Whomping Willow/Shrieking Shack, well, Remus is on his way to meet Sirius when he runs into someone who plays an important role in that prank. Please R/R, no Slash!


Author's Notes: I am depressed, negative and tetchy, when I write stories when I;m moody, this is what comes out. And to Casey, if you ever read this...sorry about the Remus being evil thing...I needed a name for my character and I really wanted to put Remmi in without looking like I was totally obsessed, so I made him evil...I should have called him Romulus...or Peter...but he was really going to be the nice guy until my sense of 'awww...lets make him evil for this once' came over.

Anyway, this is my analysing of what happened with the shrieking shack thing where the Marauders played a 'joke' with Snape...there was one line in the PoA book that made me believe that it wasn't a typical Marauder's prank but something more sinister. I got the feeling that James didn't know what Sirius was going to do...until...oh to heck with it, just read the story and maybe it'll make sense. I don't know...I'm very cynical at the moment.

Disclaimer: Sorry to Snape fans, I am one too but being the callous person I am at the moment I feel like making him evil. I own no-body, to do so would be a crime to J.K Rowling and Warner Bros. 

Remus Lupin walked down the busy London Street,. He tried to look inconspicuous, by donning corduroy tan trousers and a white polo shirt, but still he felt out of place with his wand tucked underneath his leather belt and a cloak over his shoulders. He buried his hands deeper in his pockets to evade the coldness that loomed over the morning, though the sun shone madly, his breath came up in little wisps of cloud. Suddenly he felt a body crush against his own and the rustlings of plastic bags as they fell to the concrete.

"Oh Sorry! I'm so sorry!" A woman uttered, scrambling to get up. Remus looked down to see a young woman hastily clawing her way from the pavement where she had obviously fell from the collision.

"Oh no, let me help" Remus said as he bent down to help pick up her shopping, it was then the woman met his eyes and fell back to the ground after she had already scrambled half up.

"Remus? Remus Lupin?" She gushed, her face breaking into a large smile. Remus stared at her questionably.

"Yes...I am Remus Lupin" He said, hesitating as he offered her an arm, pulling her up. Her round face was still filled with a glorious grin as her brown eyes twinkled with mirth. 

"You were friends with Sirius Black, weren't you?" She asked, at the mention of Sirius Black she quickly turned her head, as if to check no one was listening. Remus stared down at her with wide hazel eyes, as he extended his arm, which was clutching her shopping bags. It was only irony that he'd run into someone who'd associate him with Sirius Black, in the morning he intended to meet him in a muggle pub.

"Yes, but that is my business madam..." He quickly thrust the bags into her hands and stalked off, his thoughts confused about why someone would want to ask him such a question. 

"Wait!" Remus could hear the woman scuttling towards him in her heels, he swiftly turned, his cloak accidentally whipped across her woollen jersey.

"Sorry" he mumbled, as the woman peered up through the framing of her jet black hair, she smiled again. An un-nerving, almost all knowing.

"You keep in contact with him don't you?" She asked cocking her head, Remus glared back. How would she know?

"That is again, none of your business" Remus answered chillingly, he wanted to outright lie and say that he'd had absolutely no contact with Sirius but to do so was against his moral ethnics.

"Look, I'm not going to turn Sirius in...he's too dear to me" she said, keeping her voice low as she whispered close to his head, a quizzical expression crossed Remus' face.

"You know him?" He asked expectantly, the woman nodded, making her hair bob. And suddenly with a striking jolt, he recognised her.

"You went to school with us! 6th year Ravenclaw when we were 7th?" Remus asked, cocking his head at her, she merely smiled and shook her head gently.

"No, 6th year Slytherin"

"Slytherin?!" Remus exclaimed, this woman look in no way evil nor cunning. Instead it was the contrary with her round, slightly chubby face and her thick black hair accentuated by warm brown eyes. "Oh yes...Darcy, er- Darcy..."

"- Patterson" She said impatiently "Look, just tell Sirius...thanks for trying to do Snape in"

"Doing Snape in?" Remus asked, his face awash with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Darcy lowered her voice again and beckoned him to move his head closer to hers, passer-by's watched with little interest.

"Y'know, the shack incident...with you and James, the whole werewolf thing"

"How do you know?" Remus yelled, a few people glanced at him before hurrying their way across town. "How do you know?" He repeated, keeping his voice to a mere murmur.

"Let's just say Snape was uh- my _friend_..."

"He wasn't you boyfriend was he?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. Darcy peered at him with an unamused expression.

"Oh fine! Yes he was! He was a rather bad boyfriend..." Darcy continued while Remus made a derisive noise. "Yes, well we didn't _do_ anything because...well, y'know" Darcy winked and suddenly Remus felt a dreaded rush of blood to his face. "Ok, well when Sirius told Snape about poking the whomping willow and forgot to er- mention you, Sirius also was helping me with our 'relationship' troubles," Remus snorted but was still compelled to listen "I met Sirius when we were studying in the library at the same time, we became acquaintances, nothing more...I'm sure you knew of me"

"Yes, I think he talked about you a few times.." Remus said, closing his eyes to try to stretch his memory. "I don't know too much though"

"It's all right, It's cold out here, why don't we move into somewhere warmer? If you don't mind listening to what I have to say of course..."

"No, of course not" Remus said, he offered a hand to take Darcy's bags of shopping and they walked down the road together until they found a bar which was practically empty apart from some old punters. Darcy sat her plump bottom down upon a stool by the bar while Remus sat adjacent. He wasn't quite sure where this was going but he was still intrigued enough to listen.

"Well...as I said, Sirius was helping with my troubles with Snape..." Darcy took in a large breath "It was me that made Sirius tell him about the whomping willow..."

"YOU! You? But why? I thought Sirius was only planning joke on him...not to try to actually kill Snape!" Remus was aghast, Did Sirius really want to kill Snape?

"Oh no, I wanted to kill Severus...you don't know the extent of the suffering I went through with him, let me just say Severus had a talent for manipulating things for his own accord" Darcy continued, sighing deeply, "It was the only way out without me killing myself Remus..."

Suddenly Remus could see Darcy as a Slytherin, though her physical aspects didn't quite seem to match, her cheery smile and warm eyes had dissipated into something more dark.

"It was more of do or die, Remus...when Sirius told me how he accidentally told James of the plan, James naturally knew what the consequences would be...and being James he saved him, valiant again!" Darcy looked downcast as tears played on the corner of her eyes. "It would have been the perfect plan, Severus wouldn't have been alive to tell a soul that Sirius told him how to enter the whomping willow...and you would have gotten off Scot free because it wasn't your fault Severus was so foolhardy to poke around the tree" 

"I would have been expelled Darcy! I would have been liable for the murder! I wouldn't have been allowed to continue my study...they'd wanted me out of the school" Remus exclaimed looking shocked and disgruntled that Sirius could have been part of such a thing. "I thought Sirius only wanted to send him in there for a joke, as like many of his spur of the moment things...I didn't believe - I _don't_ believe he really is capable of murder" Remus said quietly, bending his head down to face the table top, maybe Snape was right...Sirius WAS capable of murder at that age.

"Severus deserved it" Darcy said solemnly "after the incident, Severus lay off me. I'm sure he knew it was me who initiated the plan or else he would have treated me the same...instead, he let me go. I wasn't his girlfriend anymore, he feared that I would do something of that nature again...so THAT'S why I need to thank dear Sirius"

"How could Snape deserve to be mauled to death by a werewolf? Tell me! I don't understand" Remus could feel his temper rising as he spoke with a tinge of bitterness.

"Because of what he put me though, he took from me the only thing that I thought I could control...Oh, the other houses don't know what really goes on in the Slytherin house. No, it's not all about power or evil. It's worse, mind games, manipulating...sometimes if you spend too much time listening to those in the years above you. You believe their ludicrous lies." Darcy had a stony expression on her face now as she spat every word with contempt.

"Let me tell you HE took away what I thought was sacred to me, something I thought would never be labelled as 'Slytherin', something pure and untouchable. I'm sure you understand"

Remus nodded solemnly, as he looked at her profile, pity ran through his system...he didn't quite know what to believe anymore and he couldn't decide whether to be angry with her or Snape or Sirius.

"Just thank Sirius for me...We drifted apart after that incident because I told him he didn't do it properly...being the typical Slytherin. I told him to sod off and now I feel a wrenching guilt. I feel as if I should go to Azkaban for 12 years...not Sirius..." Darcy said, her face contorted with suppressed rage. Suddenly she pulled out of her chair and grabbed her bags, tears were streaming down her face as she stubbornly wiped them away.

"I'll go now Remus, promise me you'll tell Sirius" She turned and walked off towards the door, she then turned on her heel, her face glistening with tears. "Tell Sirius I know he's innocent for everything...except that one thing..." Darcy turned around and headed out the door, leaving Remus to try to let the information set in. He checked his watch and it told him that Sirius was waiting for him at this moment, and without hesitation, he reached for his cloak and stalked on down to the pub where he was meeting Sirius.

As Remus entered the pug, he could see a few people in hooded robes, hiding away in corners, Sirius had told him that he would be smoking a pipe with a hooded robe and surely enough, there he was, watching Remus from under the dimness of his hood.

"You made it" Sirius said hoarsely from underneath the hood, "But you're late..."

"I ran into someone, Darcy Patterson?" Remus said with relish, he then saw Sirius stiffen slightly. "Sirius, she told me that you did intend to murder Snape!"

"Of course I did..."

"But you told me it was one of those impulse things, those pranks you always pulled...what could make you listen to her? What was so bad that made her hate him in a way to wish him dead?" Remus pleaded, his amber eyes wide with concern, he could see Sirius' eyes glinting from under his hood.

"Oh, dear Severus as you might know was her boyfriend..." Sirius began, he paused to suck on his pipe, Remus looked with distain at the pipe. 

"Yes, yes. I know that! But she said he took away something that was pure...the only thing she could control...I could've been expelled!" Remus said, digging his hands into his grey streaked hair. Remus looked at the glass of butterbeer that was in front of Sirius and he quickly took a swig from it.

"My my Sirius, you shouldn't get drunk on that stuff"

"Shut up, I've got a lot to think about"

"Remus, look, in the end you weren't expelled and everybody survived, there we go. Happy ending..." Sirius said casually, "Though...Darcy was angry that it didn't kill him..."

"You never intended to actually want to kill him though?" Remus asked sceptically.

"Aww...yes and no, no, because I didn't want to land myself in Azkaban - " Sirius paused to laugh, Remus stiffened at the callousness in his voice and took another gulp from the butterbeer. " - Yes, because Snape is annoying for snooping around and for what he did to Darcy..."

"What did he do to Darcy?" Remus asked again, though Sirius waved the question as he sucked thoughtfully on the end of his pipe.

"I didn't tell James accidentally, if you wanted to know. I told Darcy I told James accidentally but in fact, it was to actually save Snape's life...though he doesn't deserve it." Sirius paused again, and snatched the butterbeer from Remus' grip, and took a large drink. Remus let out a sigh of relief.

"So you never intended to?" he probed hopefully, suddenly things were becoming even more complicated.

"No! If I did, I wouldn't have told James! Of course if you tell James that someone is in trouble, then he'll go save them! Even if they are worthless scum like Snape. I mean even Harry's got that streak...he saved Peter when even YOU wanted to kill him! Harry, just like James, prevented me from killing Peter even though that bastard murdered Lily and James..." Sirius trailed off and underneath the black hood, Remus could hear Sirius sniffing.

"What Snape did to Darcy was bad Remus, not as bad as Peter killing Lily and James...but it was bad for a 15 year old girl who felt as if she didn't belong in Slytherin"

"What did he do?" Remus asked again with curiosity, though he dreaded it, he felt as if he needed to know the answer.

"Ok, Remus...since you really want to know..." Sirius began, he stopped to take another swig from the butterbeer. "Snape...decided upon himself to take her virgi - Are you ok?" Sirus asked, his voice drenched with concern as he stared across the small round table to Remus who had suddenly become very pale.

"Snape...raped her?" Remus whispered disbelievingly. Remus could see Sirius' head move in a nod underneath the hood and felt a wave a nausea echo through his body.

"She was only 15, didn't know better...but she did know that she wanted to keep herself for someone right...and when we were in the library, she would tell me how he was pressuring her with those little tactics. Horrible things...and when it happened, she planned the whole whomping willow thing, I helped her of course...she didn't know you were a werewolf until I told her..."

"Oh, that's sad..." Remus said

"It was immoral, the way she described everything...bawling her eyes out...I couldn't help but help her..." Sirius breathed.

Out of the blue, Remus remembered an important piece of conversation he had with Darcy.

"Darcy wants to tell you, thank you...and that she knows you were innocent about the Azkaban thing..."

"Thank you? For what? She was really shirty with me about Snape not dying..." Sirius asked with a hint on confusion.

"She's guilty about that...but she said that after the whomping willow thing...she and Snape broke it off completely" Remus explained

"Well that's not going to help what Snape did to her...and how does she know about me being innocent and why did you get round to talking to her?"

"Don't worry, she's not going to turn you in!" Remus reassured, patting Sirius gently.

"How would you know?" Sirius shot back bitterly, Remus widened his eyes and took hold of the abandoned Butter beer. "I still don't get it...how would she know I'm innocent? I haven't been in contact with her since the day after the whomping willow incident..."

The two men paused and started alternating the butter beer, as they sat in silence, thinking over the statement. Suddenly as Sirius was tipping the last of the butter beer into his mouth, Remus slapped the table, making Sirius jump, causing his hood to fly off his head. Sirius scrambled to put it back on.

"Geez. Remus..." Sirius moaned as he quickly hid his face with the hood.

"I think she knew that you told James...And she knows too that James would have saved ANYBODY even if it is Snape..." Remus said, a disgusted expression appearing at his face as he mentioned Snape.

"Maybe..." Sirius acknowledged. "Well, how did we get onto Darcy?"

Remus shrugged, "It revealed a lot of what happened that night..." Sirius nodded.

"I thought we going to talk about Harry and Lord Voldemort" Sirius said slowly, pausing between the names as he tapped his fingers impatiently on the gouged wooden table.

"I know, but the past is just as intriguing...I never thought of Severus being that type of man...all year I worked with him...I didn't know!" Remus said, moaning slightly as he placed his elbows on the table and sunk his head into them, closing his eyes tightly. "How horrible..."

"Yeah" Sirius said sympathetically, "Let's leave off now shall we? My brain is aching, all those things...we can meet again tomorrow"

Remus nodded, grimacing slightly. 

"You can pay the bill" Sirius said idly.

"What?" Remus shot back "It's only one butterbeer"

"Exactly, _only _one butter beer"

Remus groaned as he rummaged through his trouser pockets for a galleon, and handed it to Sirius and he stalked up to the bar to pay.

"Where's my change?" Remus asked accusingly when Sirius returned.

"Here you go..." Sirius said as he tipped 15 sickles in Remus' open palm. "Today's been a long day...reliving the past is so tiring"

"Oh fine," Remus flipped a sickle into Sirius' hand, "Go get yourself drunk on butterbeer...you deserve it"

"I know Remus, I'm the soon to be butter beer -a-holic"


End file.
